Konami ships Winning Eleven 8

I've heard very good things about the Winning Eleven series and that it's one of the better soccer games out there. Forget Fifa! Konami is shipping Winning Eleven 8 for the PS2 and Xbox with a PC version to follow a week later.

KONAMI SHIPS WINNING ELEVEN 8 FOR PlayStationÂ®2 and XboxÂ®

Latest Addition To the Renowned Series Features an Extensive Roster of Teams From Officially Licensed Leagues,Improved Realism, and Greater Depth than Ever Before

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. â€“ February 1, 2005 â€“ Konami Digital Entertainment â€“ America, a division of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced that Winning Eleven 8â„¢ for the PlayStationÂ®2 computer entertainment system and XboxÂ® video game system from Microsoft has shipped to retail stores nationwide, with the PC version to follow on February 8th. Proving that the award-winning Winning Eleven franchise is the closest gamers can get to real soccer in a video game, Winning Eleven 8 once again raises the bar with in-depth gameplay, improved realism and increased control. The game features more teams, players and stadiums than ever before, including all the licensed teams from the Italian, Spanish and Dutch leagues.

â€œWinning Eleven is renowned worldwide and with Winning Eleven 8 weâ€™re presenting arguably the best soccer video game ever,â€ said Rob Goff, product manager, Konami Digital Entertainment â€“ America. â€œWith all of the new content, licensed teams and greater depth of play, this is the perfect time for fans of other soccer games to pick up Winning Eleven and see what theyâ€™ve been missing.â€

Featuring 136 club teams and 57 national teams, Winning Eleven 8 offers gamers control of up to 4,500 of the worldâ€™s greatest soccer players. The inclusion of licensed leagues is a huge step forward for the series, with player likenesses, names and official kits, bolstering what is already considered the most advanced and realistic soccer game to date.

The worldâ€™s biggest stars are brought to life through photo realistic graphics and authentically modeled features, as well as individual styles of play, movement and ball control. Additionally, the game introduces a wealth of new moves and tricks including new free kick and penalty kick techniques, an innovative indirect free kick move and a new dribbling system that offers more control as gamers go one-on-one against opposing players. Teaming up with these new features will be more advanced player stats that govern every aspect of their play, including how well players can bring a ball under control, hit it past an encroaching defender or flick it to a teammate.

Further adding to the excitement of the game, Winning Eleven 8 also features the first-ever on-screen referee in the history of the series. Boasting an enhanced ref AI, the referee will run up and down the field reacting realistically and instinctively to fouls, giving advantage for minor infringements and even stepping in to calm things down when the action gets heated.

Winning Eleven 8 features improvements on a number of options in the game. An enhanced training mode allows beginners to learn the basics of soccer as well as help gamers master the vast depth of play. In addition, Winning Eleven 8 features improvements to the popular Master League, which now has more strategy through player development and injury, and a new â€˜My Best Elevenâ€™ option which allows fans to save their greatest teams.